Television broadcasting has primarily remained a one-way static industry whose production and distribution techniques have largely been unchanged for years. The techniques through which old networks, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, BBC, and others, have created productions over the years has generally remained the same. Using network controlled (owned and operated) analog and/or manually operated cameras, video tape, digital recorders, playback machines, switchers, lighting and editing systems, these and other networks have generated local and national programming combined with commercial content.
No longer are we limited to a few networks for receiving information. There are hundreds of TV stations, Internet sites, ISP applications, media sharing applications, wireless content systems, web phones, news and information toolbars, weather applications, auction assistants, shopping assistants, satellite and local radio stations, in-vehicle guidance systems, and all print and other media.
In a world of information, a source for balanced information that addresses two or more, or perhaps many different viewpoints, is greatly needed and without regard for information that may be critical or negative toward the networks themselves. For example, if an important topic critically addresses a major news agency or station, such as Fox news, this type of information would likely be censored out and not broadcast by Fox. When users want the essence of news, straightforward and pointing out all sides so individual recipients of news may make up their own mind, shaping news for any reason (including to sensationalize) is taking away individual choice and allowing media to be used for user/viewer manipulation. Finding “pure information” or information showing all sides or many different points-of-view, oftentimes results in hours and hours of users searching articles or hours of watching media feeds from different networks. With such information, users attempt to determine what they believe or not believe.
Technology advancements in communication have changed the needs of many individuals from getting information, to managing or implementing techniques for sorting through the amount of the media received. Before 24-hour news programming, such as CNN and others, individuals wanting news would be forced to make themselves available to watch 6:00 pm or 11:00 pm broadcasts.
Today, obtaining unbalanced information at any time and from almost any location has become second nature for many individuals. Recent findings by comScore Media Metrix are that “over half of U.S. adult Internet users have a TV and PC in the same room with half of those reporting they watch TV and use the Net simultaneously.”
The challenge is not getting information, but getting pure and quality information. Historically, professional news media, such as TV, radio, Internet sites, newspaper, and magazines, have become overly processed by editors, professional writers, journalists, anchormen, and announcers. Oftentimes, the media represents a particular side or point of view, and many times an unbalanced or biased perspective in order to win-over viewers from competition, to sensationalize, to report from dangerous locations, to say our station has the “exclusive,” or to say “you'll only see it here,” are important techniques for networks because it is about winning over viewers and increasing revenues.
Therefore, an easily accessible and more direct or pure media broadcast, not influenced by internal operators, owners, or management and bottom-lines, is needed. A pure media source direct from individuals to individuals without network influences and a user-operated broadcast channel or source for playing videos from users on predetermined topics without edits or censorship would be a great source of pure information.
Some attempts, in some form or another, to connect TV with independent users and their statement or views are now broadcast by networks by way of showing emails, statements from Internet sites, and videos that were taken or captured from individuals. While the networks show content taken from individuals and not professionals, the networks select what content will be aired and how the preamble leading into video or text will be made. Not getting around potential censorship or shaped viewpoints, but telling a story as a group or how the organization management wants the story to be told.
Other attempts to air viewer-submitted content are seen in Current TV and ZeD. These companies do not get around censorship, but produce a show with some of it containing uploaded videos. While some videos are directly from users, the management of these companies select “if” something airs. When a lot of viewers recommend a video (green lighted or recommended), it is highly considered by management. If the management agrees to air the video then it airs, then management plays other content before or after user videos. The management has the opportunity to add comments or statements that could affect viewers' perceptions. Just as important, videos are not targeted at predefined topics. Viewers cannot watch videos addressing the same topic, but viewers can watch a random selection of “green lighted” videos that management organizes. At the same time, each video is introduced by a network paid anchorman.
Current TV can be found on channel 366 on DirecTV, providing a range of videos and facts from the Internet of quick short-form video segments targeted at the iPod generation (18 to 35 years of age). Segments called “pods,” run between two and five minutes and comprise a “mix and match” of short films on different topics (MTV-type snippets and video blogs). The producers and editors produce, select, and present stories (with presenters), including information, such as statistics from Google on the top 10 news items searched, or survey data like the value of the global cosmetics market. The mix of material is produced by an in-house team of young correspondents, queries from freelancers and submissions from the audience.
As reported by Wired News on 02:00 AM Sep. 14, 2005 PT, the writer Niall McKay writes (complains) about the media programming and selection: “Current TV would do well to hire more smart but witty presenters like Hanson rather than the preened, sickeningly insincere porn-star types that they seem to favor for most of their segments.” Maybe the key phrases are “hire” and “they like to favor.” Is their selection of what airs, by whom, and when to censor good or bad? They, the producers or correspondents, control every aspect and therefore control the ability to shape content to match a predetermined age group, to match “what they feel” the audience wants, and to censor out or to add additional areas to any story.
Current TV is an independent media company, led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, lawyer Joel Hyatt, and a team of industry professionals and young people. The cable television network went on the air in 2005, at midnight EDT (4:00 UTC) on the morning of August 1st. Until the minute before the launch, the channel carried Newsworld International from the CBC. Current TV is based off of an experimental 3-year-old Canadan show called ZeD, both of which rely on viewer-submitted content.
ZeD is a Canadian television series, which bills itself as “open-source television.” It premiered in March 2002. The program, which airs every weeknight on the CBC, airs original music, short films, animation, performance, visual art and spoken word pieces from around the world. The subject matter is mature, and each episode begins with a humorously-worded call for viewer's discretion. Each episode is 40 minutes long and there are no advertisements within that time. While the show does not run in the summer, its website allows people to continue viewing certain works, and also upload their creations onto the website, which might then appear on television. Although some films are not available on the website, viewers of the television show can e-mail ZeD and request replays on Fridays, which are dubbed “Feedback Fridays.” Altogether, the website claims over 40,000 members.
Yet another way for users to watch videos from-other-users includes upload storage and/or hosting sites, such as YouTube. YouTube is an online free storage and video viewing website. Currently, YouTube hosts over six million videos and claims to be growing at about 20 percent every month with the current videos taking up 45 terabytes of storage. Other similar sites include blip.tv, Atom Films, Dailymotion, Internet Archive, Google Video, Ourmedia, Revver, Eefoof.com, Panjea.com, dabble.com and many more. Management or owners of these sites have the ability to promote their own chosen materials for the front page. Any information presented to the users, by its management, has the potential to be used for swaying an audience toward its own viewpoint. As an example, YouTube writes: “People always wonder how videos are chosen for the homepage and as part of our effort to improve communication with you, I thought it was time to introduce you to some of our editors and give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes here at YouTube. First up is Big Joe Smith—everyone say, “Hi Joe!”—who made this video for you and then outlined a typical week on homepage duty (including some extra video goodies). Let us know if you like this kind of stuff and we'll make it a regular feature. I'm even charging up the battery on my own video camera and getting out the rouge and mascara . . . —Mia”
One major problem with video hosting sites, with users registered or not, is searchable labeling for the video being correct with only user supplied text. Therefore, existing search engines rely on searchable text, and videos do not have searchable text within each video, unlike most web pages.
As these sites host larger databases of information, the inherent challenges for all users of video hosting type sites are finding relevant and high quality information about specific topics. Even when topics seem to match users' criteria, the time associated with accessing and playing these files, only to determine that the description did not match the actual information, or the quality of the information is poor, sends most users back to text based Internet searches where information is common from users of these sites. Even when users find videos matching searchable descriptions, users normally find these uploaded videos having different subject matter than described.
Another challenge for users wanting high quality videos on specific topics is being able to seek professional, serious, or appropriate acting people in their videos. Others may seek people in videos that come from certain areas, particular backgrounds, have similar life styles, political view points, similar taste in music, have back grounds in topic areas and many other criteria that help people locate specific information by high quality producers and not waste time viewing non-useful information.
Thus, I have recognized that a user-operated broadcast with its “users” having control over content, to the extent possible, is greatly needed. More specifically, there is a need for a broadcast system that allows users to determine topics, that allows users to determine how much time each topic is given (videos discussing a topic for 15, 30, 45, 60 or more minutes), that allows users to edit or make recommendations to the independent producers of videos, that implements a prescreening rating system and a user “producer” rating system (normally from past videos), that permits information about the producer to also be aired on screen with each video, and/or that implements user selected criteria for automatically forming algorithms that assist in balancing both sides of any topic (for example, the users of this program voted to air 33% democratic view points, 33% republican view points and 34% of other candidates), all without organizational censorship associated with broadcast companies or organizations.